Customer Reviews

Food of Love

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Food of Love is the delectable romp, a wonderful blend of humor, romance, mystery and tragedy. Ex-model Regina, now Princess Regina of San Montinaro, leaves a rehab center in California. A series of accidents make her wonder if her husband, Prince Max, is trying to kill her. Learning that her childhood friend, ex-congresswoman Reverend Cady Stanton, is nearby in Los Angeles to promote a new Christian talk show, Regina sets out to see her, but is foiled when an assassination attempt leaves Cady blind and Regina in a homeless shelter. At this point I was asking myself if someone was indeed trying to kill Regina, or was it Cady, or only accidents? Cady ends up recuperating in the mansion of porn king Power Magee, and poor Regina is in the middle of nowhere with only the clothes on her back, about to throw herself off a cliff when she is rescued by a spaceman in a UFO.

But, of course, nothing is quite as it seems.

San Montinaro announces Regina's death from a tragic accident and Cady receives Regina's old diaries. As Cady has the diaries read to her, she becomes convinced they hold a clue to Regina's death. Through the diaries the reader discovers Regina's and Cady's history, and they dip into topics that range from the assassination of Martin Luther King, to women's rights, abortion, substance abuse and homosexuality. Despite what she has been through since childhood, Regina remains something of an innocent, naïve and totally lovable. Cady is a strong, intelligent woman whose past comes back to haunt her, and makes her reevaluate her life.

I loved everything about this novel, the quirky humor and larger than life characters above all. The plot took me in unexpected directions and I could not guess what would happen next. This is a delightful surprise package skillfully bound by the author's immaculate writing. And like all stories involving a princess, it has a happy ending. HIGHLY recommended!

When I started reading FOOD OF LOVE, I didn't know whether to expect farce, comedy, romantic fiction...or what? As I read on, it became zanier and funnier, and I was hooked. Regina, the center of this mad action, gets caught in a maelstrom of life-threatening plots, weight-watching therapies, and heartwarming reunions with old friends. The adventures are fast and wild. Because I cared about Regina, despite her ditsyness, I wanted to read on and on. Suspense, laughs, sympathy kept me glued to the unfolding story with its crescendo of comically unlikely resolution that left me with a satisfied sigh.

What rollicking fun. Anne Allen has an ear for sharply drawn dialogue and an eye for the perfect detail which will define a character. Food of Love is a page-turner, its fast pace keeping one poised for the next startling development.

I read Food of Love in one sitting; the last two hours alternately laughing and crying. Anne Allen impressively modulates from high comedy to high tragedy and back again effortlessly. Through the whole novel I marvelled at the complexity of the story. Loved the names! While Cady was laid up and they were reading the diaries I was reminded of Josephine Tey --- solve the mystery from your hospital bed. And there's a bit of Mouse that Roared meets James Bond too. Anne Allen has cooked up a grand ragout, and made some serious points along the way. Bravo! I ordered a second copy to loan to friends...I'm keeping mine!

I just loved this book. Read it in a few sittings. It was that good and so fast paced. The dialogue was hilarious as well as the character observations and situations. I think the Reverend Cady is my favorite character, though Athena and Fatima are close behind. Well done. I sure hope lots of folks read this book, Kindle or print. It's well worth the wild ride. Buy a copy now! You won't be disappointed.

From a princess backing out of the toilet stall dragging a bucket while hobbling around with one broken leg, it's down the rabbit hole into a Terry Southernish romp that goes from a not-so-romany-a-clef Silver Cathederal with it's "Saturday morning Christian TV show, 'Gladly My Cross-Eyed Bear' starring Gladly Bear, the sight-challenged teddy bear angel," to a race around L.A. fleeing assassins, deadly "accidents" and a demented TV reporter hell bent on bumping up her ratings, to a romantic denoument that involves the possibility of opening a pastry shop in Solvang. Oh, and a gastly act of revenge for one of the books many malefactors: "Think of a great chef spending the rest of her life in a country where the entire cuisine is based on cabbage."Imagine the fun in getting to write a sentence like that!

It's rare to find a book that can address serious women's issues while making you laugh out loud, but Food of Love does just that. The roller-coaster-ride of a plot makes the book nearly impossible to put down, so don't use it as a book to fall asleep by. This wacky page-turner features the Rubenesque Regina as a hilarious heroine. On the run from unknown assassins, Regina and her lifelong friend Cady Stanton hurdle politically curvy topics such as negative body images, gay rights and abortion. Join Regina and Cady on their great escape and meet Athena, the bald hairdresser; her girlfriend LadyFat, a 225 lb hooker-turned-rapper; Tyrone Power Magee, America's premier pornographer; plus a KGB spy aka Mickey Mouse. Food of Love is sort of like that retro foreign flick Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown sans subtitles. Or as the author writes, "Sometimes life's darkest truths need to be told with a punch line."

Food of Love is a romping good time. Imagine Tom Robbins, Fannie Flagg, and Armistead Maupin collaborating on a novel. They start by squeezing into a bathroom stall at a posh drug rehab center. Throw in a conservative talk show hostess, a model-turned princess, a reformed porn star, and of course, Elvis, and you've got a pile of laughs and a fantastic read.

I read Food of Love when it was first released from England. I loved it then and love this clean rewrite. Anne has a sense of humor that takes the reader through her characters' crazy yet very human struggles and leaves you giggling. You love them and their quirks.

A playful, funny teaser, that's a romp to read! A gentle poke at our human foibles, with just enough suspense.